Judd Winick has had a remarkably long run on Outsiders. Here are the two most recent TPBs released.
Outsiders: The Good Fight, Vol. 5 (DC) [collects #34-41]
w. Judd Winick; a. Various
| Writing |  | New reader? |  |
| Art |  | Non-comics reader? |  |
This collection kicks off the “One Year Later” leap in this title. The Outsiders are thought dead, but are actually operating — for the first half-issue — underground. Things get pretty fast-moving and nasty after that, as a genocidal regime and its pet metas are tackled by the team, followed by tackling the Brotherhood of Evil (or at least the creepy couple of Msr. Mallah and the Brain). They survive — but with their cover blow, they all know it’s going to hit the fan really fast. But … why are they believed dead?
Amidst all the action, we get plenty of character bits, hint-dropping about what happened in the missing year, a mystery (and an unexpected torrid romance) regarding Grace, and some good team interactions. If the art weren’t such a mixed bag (most of it mediocre), it would be a lot more fun.
Outsiders: Pay As You Go, Vol. 6 (DC) [collects #42-46]
w. Judd Winick; a. Various
| Writing | | New reader? | |
| Art | | Non-comics reader? | |
Picking up after the last volume, the team is on the trail of Dr Sivana (of Captain Marvel fame). But that’s brief — most of the trade consists of a “one year ago” flashback that explains why the heck the team is composed as it is, what happened to Shift, why certain members are hooked up with each other, why they were underground, etc. In retrospect, it all makes a fair amount of sense, and it was a shame the whole “One Year Later” card had to be played as with all the DC titles to make the plot flow so convoluted.
The art this time is even a worse grab bag than previous. At least there’s a synopsis page at the beginning to help new readers figure out what’s going on (somewhat foiled by the shortly-thereafter flashback).
(listening to: Original Broadway Cast, “A Little Fall of Rain” from Les Misérables (Broadway))
(listening to: A-Ha, “Take On Me” from Greatest Hits of the 80s)
(listening to: Birmingham Symphony, “St. Crispin’s Day – The Battle of Agincourt” from Henry V)